This invention relates to a synthetic knit fabric and in particular to a double knit fabric formed from two different synthetic yarns having superior wicking and moisture management properties particularly well suited for athletic wear.
There are a wide variety of fabrics promoted as suitable for athletic wear available today. There fabrics aid in wicking moisture away from the body and aid in evaporation of body moisture created by a wide variety of athletic activities. These athletic fabrics are available in a wide variety of clothing items and are generally fabricated from yarns of synthetic fibers, such as polyester and polypropylene. Natural cotton fibers tend to absorb and retain body moisture, whereas synthetic fibers tend to improve wicking away from the body leading to evaporation of the moisture.
Such wicking fabrics are also available in a wide variety of configurations. For example these may be a simply knit jersey, brushed polyester fabrics and various types of fleece material.
An additional well known product used in athletic wear is Gore-Tex. This is a porous material which allows water vapor generated by the body to pass through the fabric while being resistant to moisture drops passing through from the outer skin of the fabric to the body. Such fabrics tend to be expensive and find primary use in applications where it is desirable to impart a waterproof property to a garment. These garments are widely used in skiwear.
Notwithstanding the availability of these fabrics, it remains desirable to provide improved synthetic knit fabrics having superior wicking action and improved evaporation of body moisture.
Generally speaking, in accordance with the invention, a superior wicking fabric formed of a knit of two synthetic yarns is provided. The yarns are generally a synthetic microfiber yarn and a synthetic non-microfiber yarn which are knit into an irregular pique knit which is a modification of the basic pique stitch. The irregular knit pique construction allows for the conventional non-microfiber yarn to be on the back of the fabric to be worn against the body for maximum moisture absorption. The microfiber yarn is knit to be on the exposed face of the fabric creating a rapid path for siphoning and evaporation of body moisture absorbed by the non-microfiber face. Preferably, the fabric is made up with an equal weight of microfiber and non-microfiber yarns, both yarns being polyester.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved fabric having superior wicking properties for improving evaporation of body moisture.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved wicking and moisture management fabric formed by preparing a double knit of two different fibers.
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved wicking and moisture management fabric knit from a conventional synthetic fiber to be worn adjacent to the body and a synthetic microfiber on the outside surface.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a fabric having improved wicking and moisture management properties knit in an irregular pique stitch.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved and moisture management fabric prepared from two different types of polyester yarns knit by an irregular pique stitch.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.
The invention accordingly comprises the several steps and the relation of one or more of such steps with respect to each of the others, and the article possessing the features, properties, and the relation of elements, which are exemplified in the following detailed disclosure, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.